


School Days

by ZanzaFlux



Series: Slice of Life. [3]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux
Summary: Bendy gets bored and decides to check out the local school house.





	School Days

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on the 2D Bendy AU created by Shinyzango on tumblr.

Brenda Harrison liked to think she was a woman of logic. Anything could be explained if given enough time and good observational skills. She was a 5th grade teacher and even though she would never stifle her students’ imagination, she would often have to reign it in to get them to concentrate.

She had heard stories from the kids about a creature called Bendy that they liked playing with after school. She simply chalked it up to the children having an active imagination. It wasn’t unusual for kids to create an imaginary friend. Things got interesting when she started hearing rumors from some of the parents about a demonic creature out to sway their kids’ minds. There is no way grown adults could believe in such things, right?

That’s what she thought until Brenda noticed a small figure playing with some of the kids in the playground. She had to adjust her glasses to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. It was shorter than the other children and seemed to be black and white. Well, now her interest was peaked. It didn’t look dangerous and the kids weren’t afraid of the little creature. Recess was almost over and the children would need to return to class soon. She wanted to get a little closer to get a better look at it before it went back to wherever it came from.

Brenda walked through the schoolyard calmly. She noticed that some of the kids the little creature was playing with were in her class. It had its back to her so it didn’t notice her approach. The children noticed and she watched with some amusement as they all froze in place. She could hear it ask them what was wrong and one child lifted a shaky finger in her direction.

She watched as the figure turned slowly to see what the child was pointing at. It was a slow motion turn like you see in a horror movie or a cartoon. As soon as its black eyes landed on her, they grew as wide as saucers. It yelped and must have jumped a foot in the air before dashing back and hiding behind one of the kids. _‘This was the big bad demon that some of the parents were afraid of?’_ she thought as she cocked an eyebrow at it’s response.

“M-Ms. Harrison!?” Right away the children moved to block the creature from her sight. It was too late of course but she appreciated the effort. She waved her hand and the children reluctantly moved aside so she could get a better look at their visitor. It looked like a cartoon character from the 1930s! Black body with a white face, gloves and a cute bow tie around…wait, it had no neck? Its head was hovering over its shoulders. Okay, she had no way to explain how that worked.

It…no, HE looked nervous. He was wringing his hands together and his eyes were darting here and there. He was even sweating or something like that was running down his face. She guess she couldn’t blame him. She was wearing her professional, stern, teacher’s face right now. It was designed to make students nervous.

“You must be the Bendy I’ve heard so much about from my students.” He straightened just a bit and nodded.

“Yes ma’am! I’m Bendy: The Dancing Demon! It’s a pleasure ta meetcha.” Huh, he was polite. He even came a little close and held out his hand for her to shake. She only hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture.

“I’m Ms. Harrison. I’m a teacher at this school.” She watched his grin morph into an “O” before looking somewhat apologetic.

“What are you doing here Mr. Bendy?” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at him. He looked back at the group who were looking just as nervous as he was.

“Well, you see-” he began scratching at the back of his head, “My friend, Henry, had to go to work so I was home alone. I got kinda bored since the kids are in school during the day.” He put his hands behind his back and began to rock on his heels. “So I decided to check out the school building. I was just curious. I was surprised to see everyone outside. I just wanted to play with them for a little while.”

So boredom brought him here all by himself? She wasn’t expecting that. Before she could say another word to him, the bell rang. Recess was over. The kids were looking at each other, then at Bendy. They looked at a lost for what to do. She would solve this little dilemma for them.

“Alright guys, you heard the bell. Time to head back to class.” They were reluctant to leave their friend but there was no way they would disobey the teacher.

“You-” she pointed at Bendy. He jumped slightly. “follow me, please.” He looked a little confused but did as she asked. She looked over her shoulder to see the group following her back to the school building. One child put their hand on his shoulder and told him that everything would be okay.

When they walked into the building, some of the children split from the group to head to their own classes while she still had a handful and the little demon following behind her. Other teachers were gawking at them as they passed by. Probably wondering if she lost her mind by letting Bendy into the building. She knew she would get an earful later.

She stopped by her classroom’s door and ushered her little group in including the little cartoon demon. He looked very confused and just stood near the front of the class. There was already children at their desks when she arrived. When they saw him, the murmur among the children got louder. She clapped her hands together to get their attention.

“Alright everyone settle down. Mr. Bendy-” He looked surprised that she was even addressing him. “You can take that empty seat right over there.” She pointed to an desk that was near the window and close to the front of the class. He looked back at her as if asking if it was really alright to be here. She just gave him a slight nod and he dashed over to the empty desk. She watched as he placed his hands on the desk and looked around with a huge grin on his face. She hoped he wouldn’t be too much of a distraction.

“Alright class, take out your literature book and turn to page 149.” All of the children reached into their bags and pulled out a thick text book. Brenda noticed one of the children pushing their desk next to Bendy so he could see what they were reading. _‘Huh, I didn’t even have to ask. Interesting.’_

“I will call on one person to read one or two paragraphs from the story until everyone has had a turn.” They all nodded. One by one she called on a student to read from the book. Some would read slowly, sounding out the words and others would read quickly, having no trouble at all. On a whim she called on Bendy to read the next part in the text book. He gained a look of concentration on his face. It looked almost comical with his black eyes narrowed and his finger tracing each sentence so he wouldn’t loose his place. He did a pretty good job. He only seemed to fumble over words that he didn’t know the context to. When this happened, either she answered his question or one of her students did. It was nice to see the children so happy to show Bendy what they’ve learned.

After literature, they were onto science study. It was interesting to see how fascinated he was. She would catch the odd comment like, “I didn’t know you could do that!” or “Wow, they didn’t have things like this back in the Studio.” It made her wonder where he had been all this time since most of what they were studying was practically common place.

It was an hour before the final bell would ring and the kids would head home. She had one more assignment for them. “Alright everyone. You will each write one or two paragraphs answering the question I’m about to write on the board.”

**“What does family mean to you?”**

They all got out their notebooks and pencils and began mulling over her question. She walked over to Bendy and handed him a piece of paper and a pencil. He looked surprised but happy to be included.

Brenda returned to her desk to grade a few papers while the children worked on the assignment. Every once and awhile she would look up to see Bendy lost in thought. He would tap the end of the pencil against the back of his other hand and bunch of emotions would play across his face. Some she recognized and others passed by so fast, she wasn’t sure she saw them in the first place. Finally, he’d snap out of it and began writing. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it, but she was curious to see what he came up with.

Soon the finally bell rang and the kids began to pack up their things. She told them to place their work on her desk before they left. One by one the papers were placed in a neat pile for her to read and grade later. Bendy was scrutinizing what he wrote before getting up from the desk. He walked up and placed it with the other papers on her desk. One of the kids called out to him. They wanted to walk home together. He was about to run out of the room when she got his attention.

“Mr. Bendy, a moment of your time, please.” He froze in an odd running pose a few inches off the ground before lowering himself and turning to face her. She felt her eyebrows twitching slightly. She didn’t know how he did that and probably never will. It didn’t seem physically possible! She refused to let her stern face slip in the face of what she’d just saw. She folded her hands together and looked him in the eye.

“Now while I understand why you came here today, you shouldn’t make a habit of this. The children are here to learn. Their parents wouldn’t appreciate the… distraction.” He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at her. His smile wasn’t as wide and maybe even a little sad.

“I understand Ms. Harrison. It wont happen again. I don’t want to get them into trouble.” She sighed softly. He really didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, she didn’t want angry parents descending on the school over the stupid ideas they’ve been spreading about him. He’d be the one to get hurt.

“Actually, I’d like to thank you.” The look he gave her almost make her laugh. “You didn’t disturb the class and they were so happy to show you what they have been working on. Seeing them like that made my day.” She graced him with a warm smile.

“Aw heck Ms. Harrison-” He placed his hands behind his back and kicked out one of his feet. She thought she saw his cheeks darken to a grey-ish color. _‘Is he blushing?’_ “I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for inviting me into your class!”

“You’re very welcome. Now you better go. You don’t want to keep your friends waiting.” He smiled brightly before dashing out the room. She got up and walked to the door. She just wanted to make sure none of the other teachers gave him trouble as he left the building. She sat back at her desk and stared at the stack of papers on her desk. She took the one written by Bendy. She was curious to see what he wrote. His handwriting was surprisingly neat.

 

  
**_What Does Family Mean To You?_ **

**_Ever since I was created I wondered about this myself. At one point, I thought I knew. I considered the one that created me like family. Although I wasn’t sure if he felt the same way. Then there were other, like me, and they felt like family too. Then some things happened and I ended up loosing everything. I was alone for a long time. I sometimes wished I hadn’t felt the way I did about everyone so it wouldn’t hurt so much when they were gone._ **

**_Then one day Henry came along. We had been through a lot together. He was my friend and I was more than happy to leave it at that. After while, things began to change. Through all the nightmares, the sadness, and fear, he was there for me. He did so much for me and the only thing he asked in return was that I’d be happy. Those old feelings were coming back and I’ll admit, I was scared. I lost everyone I considered family and I didn’t want it to happen again. Then one day, I called him Dad. We were both surprised. I tried to apologize, but he was happy… happy that I thought of him that way. I was relieved._ **

**_I guess Family can be anyone. They don’t even have to be like you. They are the ones that you look after you, cheer you up, and wipe away your tears. They do all these things because they want to, not because they have to. They are the people around you that make you feel safe and happy._ **

**_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ **

 

Brenda was left speechless. She hadn’t expected something so heartfelt from the little demon. There was definitely more to him then meets the eye. Too bad some of the adults who were afraid of him don’t take the time out to get to know him. She sighed softly and slipped the paper into her bag.

 

**The Next Day**

  
Brenda was heading to the school building when one of her students ran in front of her.

“Here she is! Good Morning Mr. Harrison!” The child took off like a shot, leaving her slightly confused. She looked back to see who the child was addressing. There was a tall man heading in her direction. He looked to be in his 50s with a white streak running through his brown hair. She figure he was a parent that wanted to speak to her so she waited for him.

“Are you Ms. Harrison?” he asked.

“Why, yes I am. How can I help you?” He scratched his cheek and was looking as though he was trying to find the right words.

“I believe you’ve met a friend of mines the other day. It seems he got a little bored and came out here to the schoolyard. I’m sorry if he caused any trouble.” It took her a moment to realize who he was.

“Oh, so you’re Henry, Bendy’s friend!” he nodded. “I was surprised to see him here but he was no trouble at all. He even joined my class for the afternoon.”

“Heh, yeah. Him and the kids told me that. Thank you for being so kind to him. There have been a lot of bad things said about him. None of it is true by the way.” He looked very tired at that moment. If she had to guess, he must have been defending his friend from a lot of misguided people.

“Oh I believe you. I’ve only spent an afternoon with him and I know those rumors weren’t true. He was a perfect gentleman.” That made Henry smile.

“Thank you ma’am for your kind words. It’s much appreciated. I’m sorry to take up your time. I should get going too.” He turned to walk away from her, but she reached out and gently grabbed his arm.

“Wait! I have something for you.” She reached into her bag and rifled through a few paged until she found the one she was looking for.

“Here, I think you should have this. It’s a question I posed to the class yesterday. I think you’ll find what Bendy wrote interesting.” She handed Henry the piece of paper and watched as he read it. His eyes grew slightly wide at one point, then sad, and near the end a smile tugged at his lips. He looked back at her.

“Thank you.” It was said softly, but sincerely.

“You’re very welcome.” She watched Henry carefully folded the piece of paper and tucked it away in his pocket before walking away.

Brenda liked to think of herself as a very logical person. It was a meeting with Bendy that taught her that logic wasn’t everything and that life was full of pleasant surprised.


End file.
